Best guitarist - Technique and speed...

^ I am not much impressed by Tipton, to be perfectly honest. I am an avid follower of the shred guitar scene as well, which also means that I'm familiar with this sort of "Vai bashing". What I don't understand is how little you know about Vai's bandwidth of techniques if you really own all these albums/DVDs. First of all: Vai's playing has always been exceptional, even in the 80s. Just compare his playing on for example Passion and Warfare to what Satriani was playing at the time. Secondly, if you look at Vai in the 90s or 2000s you'll discover that he expanded his playing to totally different techniques again ... just two words: fretless, sustainer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbAi7fa2yZo).

There may be guitarist who play faster than Vai, but Vai is - at least for me - the ultimate combination of emotional playing, masterly technique, flawless execution and innovative composition/songwriting.


BTW: I actually agree with your theory that guitar techniques evolve ... a guitarist who begins his career in the 80s has more "building blocks" to use than one of the 1970s, in addition to the techniques which he creates all by himself (which there are very few of). What I don't agree with is that guitarists are stuck in their decade ... some are (Malmsteen most of all), some are not.


Edited by MikeEnRegalia - January 25 2008 at 04:24

1vic wrote: That thread is irrelevant.It's not like all the guitar players perform the same piece of music e.g Bumble Bee and such using a metronome so you can tell who is the fastest one. And I want to see it because speeding up the recording is a common practice since the end of 40s.

You see, you're supposed to use your brain and judge for yourself by comparing the musicians and what they play.

@1Vic,I usually PM when chastising a member but I am tired of this kind of behavior.Time for a crackdown.

HughesJB4 wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: Vai. Vai is amazing, but his more of an all around virtuoso, good at many techniques, but a master of none. Hence why i couldn't pick him as the "best".

Rather "master of all". Which technique hasn't he mastered?

SilverSean wrote: Endless Wire wrote: It has been proven that Shawn Lane is the fastest guitar player in the world.  I think he can pick something like 19 notes per second or some such number.  Search for him on youtube and watch the sick lick video.  It is mind blowing, especially that lick around 2:36.   Ahem. Was the fastest. RIP Shawn

akiko wrote: 2 words: Allan Holdsworth

MikeEnRegalia wrote: Vai.

Uh, Blackmore? For combing speed, technique, memorability and emotional resonance, the last of which is tricky as hell, 'cause it's all personal and crap.

Endless Wire wrote: It has been proven that Shawn Lane is the fastest guitar player in the world.  I think he can pick something like 19 notes per second or some such number.  Search for him on youtube and watch the sick lick video.  It is mind blowing, especially that lick around 2:36.

Steven Rothery AKA God